Stackable bins and storage media rack therefor

ABSTRACT

Stackable bin including a case having a bottom wall, a top wall and a support mechanism for supporting the top wall at a distance from the bottom wall to thereby define a slot. A drawer is insertable into the slot and defines a receptacle capable of receiving objects for storage. A partitioning structure is also provided for selectively partitioning the receptacle into smaller compartments with several different configurations of the smaller compartments being possible. Instead of the partitioning structure, a storage media rack may be inserted into the receptacle in the drawer and is arranged to simultaneously receive different sizes and types of storage media.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to stackable cases or bins, andmore particularly, to stackable cases or bins dimensioned to holdconsumer articles, such as shoes.

The present invention also relates to a storage media rack or trayinsertable into a stackable bin and which enables different sizes andtypes of storage media to be simultaneously accommodated in the bin.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Stackable bins for holding articles are well known. For example,stackable bins have been proposed by the same inventor herein, and whichare the subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,037, issued Jan. 14, 1997,and U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,388, issued May 16, 2000, the entire disclosuresof which are incorporated herein by reference.

According to the '037 patent, a stackable bin is provided havingreinforcing ribs that perform a two-fold function of reinforcing thewalls while also supporting the bin in a stacked arrangement, and inwhich there is a reliable interlocking arrangement of the bins in thestacked configuration thereof The bins proposed in the '037 patent havea central partition wall which supports the bins in a stacked relation,divides each bin into two compartments, increases the structuralintegrity of each bin and locks the bins in a stacked relation. Aproblem occurs, however, if the bins have a small dimension without thecentral partition wall. Specifically, inner pressure from the goods in astacked bin may cause the front ends of the side walls of the bin tomove outwardly. This, in turn, can cause instability in the top bin,since the bottom of the top bin stacked thereon could fall down withinthe side walls of the lower bin.

According to the '388 patent, a stackable bin is provided which includestwo spaced apart side walls and a rear wall having opposite side edgesconnecting rear edges of the side walls together. The side and rearwalls are slightly inclined inwardly with respect to a vertical planesuch that lower edges of the side and rear wall fit within upper edgesof side and rear walls of a lower stackable bin. A bottom wall isconnected to lower portions of the side and rear walls. Verticallyoriented ribs are arranged on outer surfaces adjacent front and rearedges of the side walls for supporting the stackable bin on the upperedges of the side walls of the lower bin and for increasing structuralrigidity of the side walls. At least some ribs include a notch in alower end to receive the upper edges of the side walls of the lower binand an outer interlocking tab at a lower end which engages outersurfaces of the side walls of the lower bin when the upper edges of theside walls of the lower bin are received in the notches. In this manner,the side walls of the lower bin are maintained in alignment and outwardmovement thereof is prevented.

The stackable bins in the '037 patent and the '388 patent generally donot enable easy variations in the size of the object-containingreceptacle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide astackable bin that enables variations in the size of object-containingreceptacles defined by the bin.

Another object of the present invention is to enable differentconfigurations of a stackable bin using separate dividers or a storagemedia tray capable of simultaneously retaining different sizes and typesof storage media.

It is another object of the invention to provide a storage media trayfor a stackable bin which is capable of simultaneously retainingdifferent sizes and types of storage media.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a stackable binthat provides a reliable interlocking arrangement of the bins in astacked configuration thereof In order to achieve one or more of theseobjects and other objects, one embodiment of a stackable bin inaccordance with the invention comprises a case including a bottom wall,a top wall and a support mechanism for supporting the top wall at adistance from the bottom wall to thereby define a slot. A drawer isinsertable into the slot and defines a receptacle capable of receivingobjects for storage. A partitioning structure is also provided forpartitioning the receptacle into smaller compartments.

The support mechanism may be connected at a lower end to the bottom wallof the case and at an upper end to the top wall of the case. Eachsupport may include a side wall having vertically extending ribs. A stepis formed at an upper end to provide a channel receivable of a lip ofthe drawer.

To enable stacking of a plurality of the bins on top of one another, aperipheral rib is formed on a bottom surface of the bottom wall of thecase and a peripheral rib formed on an upper surface of the top wall ofthe case and offset from the peripheral rib on the bottom wall. Theseperipheral ribs serve to align the bins in a vertical configuration toform a stable stack of bins.

The drawer includes opposed front and rear walls, opposed side walls anda bottom wall connected to a lower edge of the front, rear and sidewalls. To guide insertion of the drawer into the slot, drawer guide ribsmay be arranged on an upper surface of the bottom wall of the case andcooperating guide ribs are arranged on a bottom surface of the bottomwall of the drawer. To limit insertion of the drawer into the slot, arib may be formed on the bottom wall of the drawer below the front walland a stop formed on the bottom wall of the case.

The partitioning structure may comprise divider guides arranged onopposed interior surfaces of the drawer and dividers removablyinsertable between the dividers. More specifically, the divider guidesinclude a first set of divider guides arranged on the front and rearwalls of the drawer and a second set of divider guides arranged on theside walls of the drawer. The dividers include a first set of at leastone divider insertable into opposed divider guides in the first set ofdivider guides and a second set of at least one divider insertable intoopposed divider guides in the second set of divider guides. Each dividerin the first set partitions the receptacle lengthwise and includes afirst slot extending upward from a bottom surface and at a location inalignment with opposed divider guides in the second set of dividerguides and a pair of upper guide members spaced apart from one anotherat a top of the divider and which define a channel aligning with thefirst slot. Each divider in the second set partitions the receptaclecrosswise and includes a second slot extending downward from an uppersurface and at a location in alignment with opposed divider guides inthe first set of divider guides and a pair of lower guide members spacedapart from one another at a bottom of the divider and which define achannel aligning with the second slot. Each divider guide may comprise apair of vertically extending ribs spaced apart a distance equal to thewidth of a compatible divider.

Another embodiment of a stackable bin in accordance with the inventioncomprises a case including a bottom wall, a top wall and a supportmechanism for supporting the top wall at a distance from the bottom wallto thereby define a slot. A drawer is insertable into the slot anddefines a receptacle capable of receiving objects for storage. A storagemedia rack is insertable into the receptacle in the drawer and arrangedto simultaneously receive different sizes and types of storage media.The storage media rack includes front and rear walls, side walls and abottom wall having steps which connect the bottom wall to the sidewalls. Partition walls are arranged on the storage media rackperpendicular to the side walls on the steps such that a first type ofstorage media is positionable on the steps. Additional partition wallsproject inwardly from the steps and upwardly from the bottom wall andincluding side faces having indentations spaced a distance from thebottom wall and from a vertical leg of the steps such that additionaltypes of storage media are positionable on the indentations.

A stackable bin in accordance with the invention can accommodate boththe partitioning structure described above and the storage media rack,although both cannot be used simultaneously. However, since both areremovable from the receptacle, they can be packaged and sold togetherwith the case and the user would be able to chose which way to use thebin. Also, the user could pick which dividers to insert into the dividerguides in the drawer and thereby be able to partition the receptacleinto various configurations of smaller compartments.

The above-mentioned objects and other objects of the present inventionare attained in accordance with the stackable bin configuration of thepresent invention which is described hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, maybest be understood by reference to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like referencenumerals identify like elements.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a stacked group of stackablebins according to the present invention wherein only the lower bin isshown with a drawer.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a single bin including adrawer.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a drawer showing possibleinsertions.

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the bin including the drawer asseen along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional front view of the bin including the drawertaken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the bin including the drawer asseen along the line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of the bin including the drawertaken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional plan view of the bin including the drawertaken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a drawer by itself with a storage mediarack.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional front view taken along the line 10-10 ofFIG. 9

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numeralsrefer to the same or similar elements, FIGS. 1-8 show a stackable bin 10according to the present invention. The bin 10 is formed as amulti-piece construction in which the basic bin 10 includes a case 12and a drawer 14. Since the present invention will be described withreference to bins that are stackable, the notation to be usedhereinafter refers to a prime (′) after a numeral to represent the topone of a group of three stacked bins 10, a double prime (″) after anumeral to represent the bottom one of the three stacked bins and anumeral by itself to represent the center bin of the three stacked binsand to describe the parts of a single bin in general. Also, thelongitudinal direction of the bins 10 will be considered a directionperpendicular to the front and rear faces of the bins 10 (parallel tothe lateral or side faces of the bin 10) whereas the lateral directionwill be considered a direction perpendicular to the lateral or sidefaces of the bins (parallel to the front and rear faces of the bins).FIG. 1 thus shows the group of three stacked bins 10, 10′ and 10″.

The case 12 is formed as a homogeneous, uniform and one piece plasticmaterial. Case 12 includes a substantially planar bottom wall 16, asubstantially planar top wall 18 and vertical supports 20 arranged ateach corner between the bottom and top walls 16,18. Supports 20 areconnected to the bottom wall 16 and the top wall 18 and thereby supportthe top wall 18 at a distance from the bottom wall 16 to define a slot22 in which the drawer 14 slides. Although as shown the bottom wall 16and top wall 18 have a generally rectangular configuration, the presentinvention is not limited to this particular configuration.

Each support 20 includes a side wall 24 and a plurality of verticallyextending ribs 26 arranged on the side wall 24 (three in the illustratedembodiment although the number may vary for different sized bins andeven for different supports in the same bin). The side wall 24 has astep 28 formed at its upper end to provide a channel 30 in which a lip32 of the drawer 14 passes (see FIG. 5).

The case 12 can be used with or without a drawer 14 (i.e., as shown inFIG. 1, bin 10″ includes a drawer 14 in the case 12, whereas bins 10 and10″ include only a case 12). When used with a drawer 14, the drawer 14provides the storage capability. When used without the drawer 14, itemscan be placed directly into the slot 22 and support on the bottom wall16 (and possibly on the top wall of 18 of an underlying bin).

To enable a plurality of bins 10 to be stacked on top of one another ina secure manner and in alignment with one another, the bottom wall 16includes a rib 38 formed on a lower surface 16a thereof and extendingaround its periphery while the top wall 18 includes a cooperating ormating rib 40 formed on the upper surface 18a thereof and extendingaround its periphery. In the illustrated embodiment, the bottomperipheral rib 38 extends outward of the top peripheral rib 40 althoughthe relative position may be the opposite. When multiple bins 10, 10′are stacked on top of one another, the peripheral ribs 38, 40 align thebins 10, 10′ so that bin 10′ is entirely atop bin 10 thereby providing astable stack. Specifically, the bottom peripheral rib 38 on bin 10′ isarranged entirely around the top peripheral rib 40 on the bin 10. Theperipheral ribs 38, 40 may be designed to contact one another to enhancethe securing of an upper bin 10′ to an underlying bin 10.

Stiffener ribs 42 may be formed on the upper surface 18 a of the topwall 18 of each bin 10 to assist in the support of an overlying bin 10′.The stiffener ribs 42 extend longitudinally and can be positioned toprovide support for the drawer 14 in the overlying bin 10′, i.e., bepositioned at a location which will be under a drawer 14 of theoverlying bin 10′. Stiffener ribs 42 may be rectangular as shown or havea different configuration. Furthermore, one or more reinforcing ribs maybe formed on the upper surface 18 a of the top wall 18 of the bin 10.For example, a rectangular reinforcing rib may be formed with oneportion parallel each side of the bin 10, with the stiffener ribs 42being arranged inward of this optional, additional reinforcing rib.

The drawer 14 can take various forms. In the non-limiting illustratedembodiment, the drawer 14 includes opposed front and rear walls 50, 52,opposed side walls 54, 56 and a bottom wall 58 defining a receptacle 60capable of receiving any type of consumer article, whether packaged orloose.

To guide movement of the drawer 14 in the slot 22, drawer guide ribs 34are formed on the bottom wall 16 of the case 12 extending from a forwardregion of the bottom wall 16 to a rear region of the bottom wall 16 andthe bottom wall 58 of the drawer 14 includes longitudinally extendingcooperating or mating guide ribs 64 formed on the bottom surface. Theguide ribs 64 cooperate with the drawer guide ribs 34 and thereby guidethe insertion of the drawer 14 into the slot 22 and removal therefrom(see FIG. 8). Instead of drawer guide ribs 34 and cooperating guide ribs64, other mechanisms for guiding the insertion of the drawer 14 into theslot 22 and removal of the drawer 14 from the slot 22 can be used in theinvention.

Drawer guide ribs 34 are shown parallel to one another and extendlongitudinally along the bottom wall 16. In the illustrated embodiment,the bottom wall 16 includes an opening 36 between the drawer guide ribs34. However, the bottom wall 16 may also be solid.

A mechanism is provided to limit the movement of the drawer 14 into theslot 22. Specifically, the bottom wall 58 includes a rib 62 extendingdownward from the bottom surface and formed below the front wall 52 tothereby act as a stop when the drawer 14 is inserted into the slot 22.This serves to limit the inward movement of the drawer 14 into the slot22 in the case 12 to a position in which the front and rear walls 50, 52are entirely within the case 12. To this end, a forward portion 34 a ofthe drawer guide ribs 34 acts a stop which is contacted by the rib 62upon complete insertion of the drawer 14 into the slot 22. Othermechanism for limiting the movement of the drawer 14 into the slot 22can also be used in accordance with the invention.

The upper edge of each of the side walls 54, 56 include lips 32 whichare designed to pass into the steps 28 formed in the supports 20 (seeFIGS. 4 and 5). A lip 66 is also provided along the upper edge of eachof the front and rear walls 50, 52. A handle 68 projects forward fromthe front wall 50.

The inner surfaces of the front and rear walls 50, 52 and side walls 54,56 and the upper surface of the bottom wall 58 are designed to securelymate with a variety of different partitions which enable the receptacleto be divided into various configurations of smaller size receptacles.To this end, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, two divider guides 70 arearranged on the inner surface of each of the side walls 54, 56 and inopposed relationship to the divider guides 70 on the opposite side wall54, 56. Similarly, a divider guide 72 is arranged on the inner surfaceof each of the front and rear walls 50, 52 and in opposed relationshipto one another. Each divider guide 70, 72 may be formed from a pair ofvertically extending ribs spaced apart a distance equal to the width ofa compatible divider.

Dividers 74 are designed to slide into a pair of opposed divider guides70 in the side walls 54, 56 to partition the receptacle 60 crosswise.Crosswise dividers 74 each include a slot 76 extending from the uppersurface and at a location in alignment with the divider guides 72 whenthe divider 74 is placed in the receptacle 60. Each divider 74 alsoincludes a pair of lower guide members 78 spaced apart from one anotherat a bottom of the divider 74 (on one or both surfaces of the divider74). The lower guide members 78 define a channel aligning with the slot76, the purpose of which is explained below.

A divider 80 is designed to slide into the pair of opposed dividerguides 72 in the front and rear walls 50, 52 to partition the receptacle60 lengthwise. Lengthwise divider 80 includes a slot 82 extending upwardfrom the bottom surface and at a location in alignment with the dividerguides 70 in the-side walls 54, 56 when the divider 80 is placed in thedrawer 14. Lengthwise divider 80 also includes a pair of upper guidemembers 84 spaced apart from one another at a top of the divider 80 (onone or both surfaces of the divider 80). The upper guide members 84define a channel aligning with the slot 82.

By providing the dividers 74, 80 with the respective slots 76, 82, thedividers 74, 80 can be mated to another (see the assembled partitionstructure 86 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) and can both be placed in thereceptacle 60 at the same time. Specifically, the slot 76 in divider 74receives a portion of the divider 80 above the slot 82 whereas slot 82in divider 80 receives a portion of the divider 74 below the slot 76.Also, to secure the coupling of the dividers 74, 80 together, thedivider 80 also passes into the channel between the lower guide members78 whereas the dividers 74 pass into a respective channel between theupper guide members 84 (see FIGS. 5 and 7).

If two crosswise dividers 74 and a lengthwise divider 80 are provided ina kit with the drawer 14, then there are numerous ways to partition thereceptacle 60 in the drawer 14 into smaller compartments. Specifically,the drawer 14 can have a configuration wherein a single divider 74 isused and slid into one set of the divider guides 70 with or withoutdivider 80 slid into the divider guides 72 in the front and rear walls50,52, another configuration in which two dividers 74 are used and eachslid into a respective set of divider guides 70 with or without divider80 and another configuration in which only divider 78 is slid into thedivider guides 72 in the front and rear walls 50,52. Although only twocrosswise dividers 74, a single lengthwise divider 80 and thecorresponding two sets of divider guides 70 on the side walls 54, 56 andsingle set of divider guides 72 on the front and rear walls 50, 52 areshown in the illustrated embodiment, the number of dividers 74, 80 andcorresponding sets of divider guides 70,72 can be varied as desired inwhich case, the slots 76, 82 and guide members 78, 84 of the dividers74, 82 would be dimensioned and positioned to mate with one another inthe same manner as described above.

Referring now in particular to FIGS. 9 and 10, instead of placingdividers 74, 80 in the receptacle 60 defined in the drawer 14, it isalternatively possible to place a storage media rack 90 in thereceptacle. Storage media rack 90 is formed as a one piece constructionof plastic and is designed to simultaneously accommodate different sizesand types of storage media. The storage media rack can be usedindependent of the stackable bin 10 described above.

The storage media rack 90 includes front and rear walls 92,94, sidewalls 96, 98 and a bottom wall 100. The front and rear walls 92, 94 arespaced apart a distance about equal to the distance between the dividerguides 72 and the side walls 96, 98 are spaced apart a distance aboutequal to the distance between the divider guides 70 so that the storagemedia rack 90 fits securely into the receptacle 60 (see FIG. 9).Further, a portion of the front and/or rear walls 92, 94 and/or sidewalls 96, 98 proximate the corners can have a larger thickness than aremaining portion of the respective wall 92, 94, 96, 98 to assist in thesecure fit of the storage media rack 90 into the receptacle 60.

Steps 102 are provided to connect the bottom wall 100 to the side walls96, 98. Partition walls 104 are arranged perpendicular to the side walls96, 98 on the steps 102 and serve to partition the steps 102. Theformation of the partitions in the steps 102 is designed to allow thestorage media rack to accommodate a first type of storage media such asa DVD case 106, when placed on its side (shown in dotted lines in FIG.10). The DVD case 106 would thus rest on the steps 102 above the bottomwall 100.

To accommodate additional types of storage media, additional partitionwalls 110 project inwardly from the steps 102 and upwardly from thebottom wall 100 (see FIG. 10). Partition walls 110 do not align with thepartition walls 104 as shown in FIG. 9. The side faces of the partitionwalls 110, as well as the inner side face of the front and rear walls92, 94 include indentations 112, 114 with each indentation 112, 114being spaced a distance from the bottom wall 100 and spaced a distancefrom the vertical leg 108 of the step 102 (see FIG. 10).

By providing the indentations 112, 114 in the partition walls 110, itbecomes possible to securely store different sizes of CDs including a“thick” CD 116 and a “thin” CD 118 (shown in dotted lines in FIG. 9) aswell as a cartridge 120 for a game system such as the GAMECUBE(™) orXBOX(™) system. Specifically, the “thin” CDs 118 would be receivedbetween a pair of opposed partition walls 110 (or between one partitionwall 110 and the front or rear wall 92, 94) and the “thick” CDs 116could be received between opposed indentations 112. The game cartridge120 could be received between opposed indentations 114. As such, thestorage media rack 90 could simultaneously store different types ofstorage media.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changesand modifications may be made without departing from the invention inits broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims isto cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the truespirit and scope of the invention.

1. A stackable bin, comprising: a case including a bottom wall, a topwall and support means for supporting said top wall at a distance fromsaid bottom wall to thereby define a slot; a drawer insertable into saidslot and defining a receptacle; and partitioning means for partitioningsaid receptacle.
 2. The stackable bin of claim 1, further comprisingdrawer guide means for guiding insertion of said drawer into said slot.3. The stackable bin of claim 2, wherein said drawer guide meanscomprise drawer guide ribs arranged on an upper surface of said bottomwall and cooperating mating guide ribs arranged on a bottom surface ofsaid drawer.
 4. The stackable bin of claim 1, wherein said support meanscomprise a plurality of supports connected at a lower end to said bottomwall and at an upper end to said top wall, each of said supportscomprising a side wall and a plurality of vertically extending ribsarranged on said side wall.
 5. The stackable bin of claim 4, whereineach of said supports includes a step formed at an upper end to providea channel receivable of a lip of said drawer.
 6. The stackable bin ofclaim 1, further comprising stacking means for enabling stacking of aplurality of the bins.
 7. The stackable bin of claim 6, wherein saidstacking means comprise a peripheral rib formed on a bottom surface ofsaid bottom wall and a peripheral rib formed on an upper surface of saidtop wall and offset from said peripheral rib on said bottom wall.
 8. Thestackable bin of claim 1, further comprising stiffener ribs formed on anupper surface of said top wall.
 9. The stackable bin of claim 1, whereinsaid drawer includes opposed front and rear wall, opposed side walls anda bottom wall connected to a lower edge of said front, rear:and sidewalls.
 10. The stackable bin of claim 9, further comprising insertionlimiting means for limiting insertion of said drawer into said slot. 11.The stackable bin of claim 10, wherein said movement limiting meanscomprise a rib formed on said bottom wall of said drawer below saidfront wall and at least one stop formed on said bottom wall of saidcase.
 12. The stackable bin of claim 1, wherein said partitioning meanscomprise divider guides arranged on opposed interior surfaces of saiddrawer and dividers removably insertable between said dividers.
 13. Thestackable bin of claim 12, wherein said drawer includes opposed frontand rear wall, opposed side walls and a bottom wall connected to a loweredge of said front, rear and side walls, said divider guides include afirst set of divider guides arranged on said front and rear walls ofsaid drawer and a second set of divider guides arranged on said sidewalls of said drawer, said dividers including a first set of at leastone divider insertable into opposed divider guides in said first set ofdivider guides and a second set of at least one divider insertable intoopposed divider guides in said second set of divider guides.
 14. Thestackable bin of claim 13, wherein each of said at least one divider insaid first set of dividers is arranged to partition said receptaclelengthwise and includes a first slot extending upward from a bottomsurface and at a location in alignment with opposed ones of said dividerguides in said second set of divider guides.
 15. The stackable bin ofclaim 14, wherein each of said at least one divider in said second setof dividers is arranged to partition said receptacle crosswise andincludes a second slot extending downward from an upper surface and at alocation in alignment with opposed ones of said divider guides in saidfirst set of divider guides and a pair of lower guide members spacedapart from one another at a bottom of the divider and which define achannel aligning with said second slot.
 16. The stackable bin of claim15, wherein each of said at least one divider in said second set ofdividers includes a pair of lower guide members spaced apart from oneanother at a bottom of the divider and which define a channel aligningwith said second slot.
 17. The stackable bin of claim 14, wherein eachof said at least one divider in said first set of dividers includes apair of upper guide members spaced apart from one another at a top ofsaid divider and which define a channel aligning with said first slot.18. The stackable bin of claim 13, wherein each of said at least onedivider in said second set of dividers is arranged to partition saidreceptacle crosswise and includes a slot extending downward from anupper surface and at a location in alignment with opposed ones of saiddivider guides in said first set of divider guides and a pair of lowerguide members spaced apart from one another at a bottom of the dividerand which define a channel aligning with said slot.
 19. The stackablebin of claim 18, wherein each of said at least one divider in saidsecond set of dividers includes a pair of lower guide members spacedapart from one another at a bottom of the divider and which define achannel aligning with said slot.
 20. The stackable bin of claim 12,wherein each of said divider guides comprises a pair of verticallyextending ribs spaced apart a distance equal to the width of acompatible divider.
 21. The stackable bin of claim 12, wherein saiddivider guides include a first set of divider guides arranged on frontand rear walls of said drawer and a second set of divider guidesarranged on side walls of said drawer, the stackable bin furthercomprises a storage media rack insertable into said receptacle in saiddrawer and arranged to simultaneously receive different sizes and typesof storage media, said storage media rack including front and rear wallsare spaced apart a distance about equal to a distance between said firstset of divider guides and side walls are spaced apart a distance aboutequal to a distance between said second set of divider guides such thatsaid storage media rack fits securely in said receptacle.
 22. Thestackable bin of claim 1, further comprises a storage media rackinsertable into said receptacle in said drawer and arranged tosimultaneously receive different sizes and types of storage media. 23.The stackable bin of claim 22, wherein said storage media rack includesfront and rear walls, side walls and a bottom wall having steps whichconnect said bottom wall to said side walls.
 24. The stackable bin ofclaim 23, wherein said storage media rack further includes partitionwalls arranged perpendicular to said side walls on said steps such thata first type of storage media is positionable on said steps.
 25. Thestackable bin of claim 24, wherein said storage media rack furtherincludes additional partition walls projecting inwardly from said stepsand upwardly from said bottom wall, said additional partition wallsincluding side faces having indentations spaced a distance from saidbottom wall and from a vertical leg of said steps such that additionaltypes of storage media are positionable on said indentations.
 26. Astackable bin, comprising: a case including a bottom wall, a top walland support means for supporting said top wall at a distance from saidbottom wall to thereby define a slot; a drawer insertable into said slotand defining a receptacle; and a storage media rack insertable into saidreceptacle in said drawer and arranged to simultaneously receivedifferent sizes and types of storage media.
 27. The stackable bin ofclaim 26, wherein said storage media rack includes front and rear walls,side walls and a bottom wall having steps which connect said bottom wallto said side walls.
 28. The stackable bin of claim 27, wherein saidstorage media rack further includes partition walls arrangedperpendicular to said side walls on said steps such that a first type ofstorage media is positionable on said steps.
 29. The stackable bin ofclaim 28, wherein said storage media rack further includes additionalpartition walls projecting inwardly from said steps and upwardly fromsaid bottom wall, said additional partition walls including side faceshaving indentations spaced a distance from said bottom wall and from avertical leg of said steps such that additional types of storage mediaare positionable on said indentations.